Separation Anxiety
by crematosis
Summary: Light told Ryuk that he wished he and L would have a closer relationship. But Light didn't know how close they would be. Can Light handle being bound to L by an invisible chain of Ryuk's creation? AU
1. Chapter 1

A/N; I'm starting a new Death Note story! Don't worry…I will finish my current one…eventually. It'll just take so much time to finish that I want to have another one going while I wait. This one is definitely AU. I hope I haven't made anybody too mad with how I decided to make the plot.

Disclaimer: I don't own L or Light or Ryuk. I'm just taking my liberties with the characters/

Light Yagami was thoroughly pissed off. He had never been before had to work with anyone so difficult to get along with. L was the infuriating man's title and Ryuuzaki was his name, or rather fake name. The great detective L trusted no one with his real name and he seemed to trust Light least of all. Somehow, L had gotten the idea that Light was Kira, the notorious killer that only needed a name and a face to kill. Light freely admitted that he was less that perfect, but he was probably as close to perfection as anyone could get. He was handsome, friend, polar in school, top of his class, and a wonderful son. He had even tried making friends with L, but L was completely disinterested in friendship. There seemed to be nothing Light could do to convince the stubborn detective that he had good character. Even the fact that he was working with L to find Kira seemed to mean nothing. L insisted on having Light under surveillance at all times. In fact, this was the first time that Light had actually gotten time to himself. Of course, L had just sent Light into the downstairs office to grab a file, but still, a few minutes without L was wonderful

"Why does L have to be so annoying?" Light growled, pulling at his hair in frustration.

"Oh, L's annoying you, is he?" a voice asked.

Light started and looked around nervously. "Who said that?"

"I did." A hulking Frankenstein-like figure with shark teeth and crow's wings materialized in the corner. The disturbing toothy grin widened. "I couldn't help overhearing."

Light yelped and took a quick step backwards, colliding with the desk. Light put his hand on the desk to steady himself. "Wha-what are you?"

"Name's Ryuk. I'm a shinigami, a death god. And you're Light, right?"

"y-yes," light said shakily.

The shinigami cackled. "Nice to meet ya, Light."

Light took a deep breath to steady his nerves. "You don't exactly look like a god to me."

Ryuk shrugged. "We consider ourselves gods. You humans just call us demons." He leaned closer to Light, his foul breath washing over the boy's face. "I specialize in death, especially painful or violent deaths." He laughed again.

Light swallowed. 'So, you're here to kill me?"

Ryuk cackled. "Kill you? Naw, you've still got lifespan left."

Light blinked. "Don't death gods just cut lifespans short?"

"That's right. Normally, a person would die a natural death of old age or from some major illness. But if a perfectly healthy person dies, shinigami are involved. Sometimes God sends us out to kill, something about judgment on the sinners. But other times…" The grin widened impossibly. "You humans are so much fun. Sometimes you wish fervently for someone to die and we're happy to oblige."

Light shuddered. "If you're not here to kill me, why are you here?"

The shinigami shrugged. "I was just passing through. But I heard you talking about an L. Which one is it?"

"What do you mean?"

"There have been several L's throughout the years. To shinigami, time has no meaning. We never die. But humans die left and right. It's hard to keep track of who's still alive."

'Well, this L calls himself Ryuuzaki," Light said doubtfully.

The shinigami crowed in delight. "Then it hasn't been that long. Messy black hair and a fondness for sweets, right?"

"It sure sounds like Ryuuzaki," Light agreed.

Ryuk's grin became more sinister. "Perfect. Now, what exactly is it that annoys you about L?"

Light sighed. "It's just that he doesn't get along with anybody. I'm trying to help him catch Kira and he thinks that I'm Kira."

Ryuk laughed. "Oh, I know you're not Kira. But Kira is quite a lot like you."

Light perked up. "You know who Kira is? Who is it?"

Ryuk wagged a clawed finger in Light's face. "I'm not telling. You humans always want to do it the easy way. It takes the fun out of everything."

Light scowled. "So you won't kill me and you won't help me. What are you here for?"

"Oh, I will help you, Light," the shinigami said sinisterly. "Not to catch Kira of course, but to deal with Ryuuzaki."

Light sighed. "I don't hate him enough to wish he was dead."

"But if he was dead, he'd be so much easier to deal with," Ryuk said proudly. "But..eh, that's not the point. A friend of mine, Rem, is getting transferred to the Emotions department. She can make this Ryuuzaki doubt his abilities and in turn doubt his suspicions of you."

Light laughed nervously. "Uhh..thatnks, but you don't need to do that. Why should a demon help out a human anyway?"

Ryuk snickered. "We demons can't stand L. Well, we can't stand any L ever in existence, but this L in particular. L always manages to catch all the best murderers. How can we cause a murder if all the decent criminals are in jail? We can't just make anybody commit a murder. It has to be something they might logically do. So we kill an L, but then another takes his place. It's pointless. But anything we can do to make his life miserable in the meantime is great fun."

"But I didn't mean-" Light protested.

The shinigami cackled. "Be careful what you wish for, Light."

Ryuk vanished in a swirl of black feathers, leaving Light mumbling to himself, 'I just wanted to be closer to L."…….


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Now the story starts! I kind of considered the first chapter a prologue since it was so short. This is a much better length, and consequently took me a lot longer to write. This chapter might be a little dull, just normal bickering between L and Light. But the next chapter gets interesting, I promise.

Disclaimer: I don't own L or Light…this is just my own little AU with the DN characters in it.

After the shinigami's disappearance, Light tried to forget the whole thing. Of course, Light's active mind refused to let him. Light returned to the other room to continue helping L. L picked up on Light's anxiety immediately and asked several times if anything was wrong. Light could never admit to L what was bothering him so he continued to tell L that he was perfectly fine. L would frown at him, clearing not believing him. Light was sure that L was raising his chances of being Kira with each repetition of this suspicious behavior.

Light spent most of his day watching L out of the corner of his eye in case the detective suddenly keeled over or started doubting everything. Light wasn't exactly sure if he would be able to tell if that happened since L kept all his emotions hidden, but Light kept an eye on L just in case. He worked on the case only half-heartedly, another thing that would be sure to increase L's suspicions. But as long as L acted like L, Light didn't care anymore.

As the day wound to a close, nothing seemed to have happened to L. Perhaps the shinigami was all talk. Or maybe Light had suffered a stress-induced hallucination.

Just as Light was finally beginning to relax, L murmured, "Yagami-kun seems to be fading. Perhaps we need a coffee break."

Light started to protest that he wasn't tired, but one glance at the clock told him it was after midnight. He sighed. "Well, if we're planning on staying up all night, coffee is probably a good idea."

L rose from his seat and headed towards the door. "We will not be up the whole night," he said placidly. 'Yagami-kun requires rest. We will continue only until 3 a.m."

Light frowned. "You expect me to be able to wake up again at six, with only three hours of sleep."

"That is correct, Yagami-kun. Now, please accompany me to the kitchen."

Light sighed again. "At this rate, I'll die from sleep deprivation."

"Nonsense, Yagami-kun. I function quite well on a minimum of eight hours of sleep a week. Yagami-kun cannot handle it because he does not eat enough foods that provide energy. Instead, he must sleep to restore his energy."

Light made a face. "If I ate as much sugar as you, I would never be able to sleep. That's your problem I happen to like sleeping. It helps me sort through information I acquired throughout the day."

L glanced back over his shoulder. "Very, well, Yagami-kun. If you feel you are able to stay awake until three without the help of coffee or sugar, you may do so. But I am hungry and would like a snack. Yagami-kun must accompany me to the kitchen even if he chooses not to eat."

"Fine," Light grumbled. He followed L into the hallway.

L stopped at the entrance to the kitchen so abruptly that Light almost crashed into him. "I though you were hungry," Light growled.

L looked at the tile flooring worriedly. "I am indeed." He took a tentative step forward and winced as his bare feet made contact with the cold flooring.

"The flooring does not conduct heat," L observed.

Light snorted. "Put socks on if your feet are cold."

L shuddered at the thought. "That will be impractical. Socks chafe and distract me from my observations."

'Then freeze your toes off for all I care," Light growled. "Just grab something quick so we can go back to work."

L blinked in surprise. 'Does Yagami-kun not realize that each food's nutritional value must be taken into careful consideration before choosing which snack is best?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot that you have to make your choice between caffeine and sugar."

L frowned. "I detect sarcasm."

"Oh, you do, do you? How could you possibly do that if you can't socialize with another human being?"

"I am not stupid just because I lack social skills," L said stiffly. "That is merely because I have lived in seclusion for most of my life. But through my observations of others I have observed enough normal human behavior to notice that my actions are sometimes odd."

"So, what you're saying is that you know you're acting weird, but you don't want to change?"

L shrugged. "It is difficult to break old habits." He tugged open the fridge and stared at its contents, effectively ending the conversation.

Light frowned and rubbed at his arms. 'Don't take too long. You're letting all the cold air out."

L selected a jar of frosting and set it on the counter. With one finger, he pushed the door closed again.

Light gave L a disgusted look as the detective pulled out a spoon and began eating out of the container. "Do you know how many calories are in there?"

L paused momentarily. "I will not consume the entire container."

"Do you know how gross that is? You're licking the spoon and putting it right back into the container. Get a bowl and just scoop out how much you want."

L cocked his head to one side. "I am aware that I an introducing my saliva into the frosting. However, since I am the only one here who prefers sweets, that will not be a problem."

"That's not the point. Saliva has bacteria in it. Do you want that whole jar to go bad?"

"Frosting is never bad. It is always good for you," L murmured, licking the back of his spoon.

"You know what I mean!"

"No, Yagami-kun fails to explain himself clearly."

Before Light could wallop L like he wanted desperately to do, Watari intervened. "Boys," Watari's voice said sternly.

Light glanced around and discovered that L had installed an intercom system throughout the whole house/

"Please eat your snack without fighting," L's butler continued. "You two are working together on this investigation."

"Of course," L said softly. He shot Light a sidelong glance that seemed to accuse him of not being a team player.

Light scowled. "Fine, let's get back to work." He stalked out of the kitchen.

L gave the frosting one last wistful look before leaving it on the counter and following Light. Watari would put it back later.

L entered their bedroom/office and immediately swept a blanket off his bed and settled it around his shoulders. A shiver passed through his thin frame.

"You're freezing, aren't you?"

"I would not think you would need to ask that," L murmured.

Light frowned. "It is a little cold in here. I guess you feel it more because you have no body fat."

"That is not true," L objected. "I have only enough body fat to survive."

"Well, that's unhealthy," Light shot back.

"There is nothing unhealthy about being able to survive."

"Look, you need more that just a few ounces of fat on you. Sure you can live as skinny as you are, but you'll get sick a lot easier and you'll be cold more often. Right now, you're almost freezing to death in your own bedroom."

"Nonsense. I will simply tell Watari to adjust the thermostat back to how it is supposed to be."

L grasped the phone between two fingers and pressed the intercom button for Watari's room. He spoke briefly into the phone and turned away with a puzzled look on his face.

"Why is this room so much colder than when we went into the kitchen? Watari says that the temperature has not changed."

Light snorted. "It wasn't this cold before."

"Correct, Yagami-kun. It is very peculiar." He stared intently at Light.

Light frowned. "Don't look at me like that. I didn't do anything. I was with you the whole time."

"A convenient alibi," L murmured. "But if Yagami-kun were Kira, perhaps he could somehow get the thermostat to display the wrong temperature without my knowledge."

"I'm not Kira," Light growled.

L shrugged. "I am inclined to believe that the apparent temperature change is a matter of perception, that it is indeed the same temperature as before we left, but we just feel colder."

"Knowing that doesn't make me any warmer," Light muttered. He shoved his hands into his pockets for warmth

"It does not make me warm either," L said mournfully, his teeth chattering.

"This is ridiculous," Light growled, his jacket pulled tightly around him. "We can't work like this."

"I agree," L said softly. He shivered again. "I propose that we wrap ourselves in blankets and wait until our bodies adjust." He lifted the blankets from Light's bed and deposited them on his own.

'Uhh…what are you doing?"

"We will be much warmer if we huddle together to conserve body heat. Since my bed is a queen and yours is merely full size, it seems logical that we both share the larger bed."

Light scowled. "I will not sleep in a bed with you."

"There will be no sleeping involved, Yagami-kun. We are friends and friends share, do they not?"

Light gritted his teeth. It was pointless to argue with L. l had never had a friend before so he didn't know how friends were supposed to act.

"Fine," Light muttered. "But only until we warm up. Then I'm going back to my own bed."

"No, we will be returning to the case."

Light scowled. "Fine."


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I swear, I've been working hard on this the whole time…right? Umm..okay. So I just lost the notebook I wrote this in and had no idea where I was going until I found it again. Lucky you.

Disclaimer: I don't own.

Light awoke the next morning to a very strange scene. L was curled up tightly beside him, with his head rested on Light's chest. Light found the fact that L considered him a good pillow slightly disturbing, but he resisted the urge to shove L off merely because of his contented expression. L's face bore a faint smile that made him seem almost harmless. He certainly didn't look like the annoying bastard that he was when he was awake.

L sighed in his sleep and curled his thin fingers around Light's shoulder. With a contented murmur, L snuggled further into Light's chest.

Light fought the blush that threatened to break out across his cheeks. Why did L have to be so trusting and childlike in his sleep? It almost made Light want to hug him. Almost.

Light glanced over at the clock. Only four a.m. L had planned on staying up until three, but they had both fallen asleep closer to midnight. It was entirely understandable since cold made Light slightly sleepy. But Light didn't mind falling asleep a little early. He needed more than the amount of sleep L was willing to give him. Light smirked slightly and closed his eyes again for a few more hours.

When Light woke up later to the sounds of barely contained whispers. He wearily opened his eyes to find his father and Matsuda in their bedroom. Light glared at L who was entangled with him.

"What's going on?' Light asked.

"You've overslept," Mr. Yagami muttered. "We came to wake you up."

Startled, Light whirled to face the clock and saw that it was almost nine.

"So much wasted time," L lamented. He lifted his head from Light's chest and propped himself up on his elbows.

Light grimaced. 'Don't do that. Your elbows are digging into my stomach."

"I apologize, Yagami-kun." L settled his full weight back onto Light's chest.

"Get off my son immediately!" Mr. Yagami commanded.

"I'm unable to do so," L said placidly. "I am trapped."

"You are not trapped," Mr. Yagami insisted. "You are lying on top of my son."

Realization quickly dawned on Light. "It's okay, Dad. Ryuuzaki's foot got caught under mine."

Mr. Yagami frowned as Light shifted so L could pull his foot out. "Now, will you please get off my son?"

L made as if to lift his body off of Light's, but he stopped with a puzzled expression. "It appears as if I am stuck."

"I don't understand why you want to lie on top of Light. You made it clear that you distrust him. Now, please get off of him so we can go back to work."

L sighed. "I do not wish to remain here. I feel stuck as if I am glued to your son. There is nothing keeping me with Yagami-kun, but all the same I cannot move away."

"You're being ridiculous," Light growled. "Get off me."

L passed a between his chest and Light's. "Strange…there is nothing holding us together."

"Get off," Light hissed, his anger crystallizing.

L pushed himself up with his hands and rolled off of Light, only to discover that his hands were still stuck to Light. "This is a very sticky situation."

"Oh, shut up," Light growled. He grabbed L's hand and placed it on the mattress, only to find that L was now holding onto his hand.

"Cut it out," Light hissed. He shoved L off the bed. Light wasn't expecting to tumble off the bed with him and fall on top of L.

"Damn it, would you stop screwing around?" Light growled. "Just let go!"

"I am no longer holding on to you," L said placidly. It was true. L's hand was touching Light's, but he wasn't making any effort to hold on to the boy.

Light blinked in surprise. "You're just touching me. Why can't we separate?"

"I do not know, Yagami-kun. We seem to be stuck together by an invisible substance."

"Both of you, get up and get off each other," Mr. Yagami said sternly.

The boys rose and looked down at their hands strangely, which were still pressed together.

"Now, Matusda, since Ryuuzaki cannot keep his hands off my son, please pry him away from Light."

Matsuda eagerly seized L's hand and pulled hard.

"It's not working," L said tonelessly.

Mr. Yagami took Light's hand and pulled in the opposite direction.

"Jesus Christ," Light muttered. "We're not even glued together. Why the hell won't this work?"

"Yes, this is indeed and inconvenience," L murmured. "I do wish to observe you but I do not think I need to be this close to do so."

L's words suddenly sparked Light's memory. His last words to the shinigami had been something like, 'I just wish I could get closer to L'. Light's eyes widened in horror. "Oh no…"

With Light momentarily distracted, the tension in the air dissipated and with a final tug, the two boys were yanked apart. Matsuda immediately fell over backward, dragging L down with him. Mr. Yagami wobbled, but remained upright.

Mr. Yagami smiled and patted Light's shoulder. "There we go. All settled. Please get dressed and meet us in the investigation room when you're ready." He brushed past Light and headed out the door, Matsuda in tow.

Unfortunately, Mr. Yagami did not see the look on L's face or he would not have left. L looked at his separation from Light with almost as much horror as being deprived of cake. Barely a second had passed before L jumped on Light, closing the distance between them. Light smiled and wrapped his arms around L as they tumbled to the ground.

As soon as Light's back hit the floor, he came to his senses. "Get the hell off me!" he roared.

Mr. Yagami heard Light's raised voice and rushed back into the room.

L glanced down at Light thoughtfully, ignoring the heated glare form Light's father. "It appears that we are in an interesting predicament."

"Interesting my ass," Light growled. "You jumped on me."

"And at the moment, you seemed to welcome it," L shot back.

'Temporary insanity," Light said sourly.

"Yes, we both seem afflicted," L murmured. "Yagami-kun, you realize that I am a very private person. Surely you know it isn't in my nature to embrace anyone."

"Yeah, I guess so," Light said reluctantly.

"Would you two please stop lying around?" Mr. Yagami growled. "This is serious."

"It is indeed," L murmured. "If I am unable to free myself from your son, the investigation will not progress."

"I'm more than happy to separate myself from you," Light growled. He placed his hands against L's chest and shoved upwards. L grabbed at Light's foot as he tumbled backwards, yanking Light along with him.

Light let out a frustrated growl. "This is stupid!"

L released his grip on Light's foot and settled down on floor next to Light. "Something strange has happened to us over the course of last night. We seem to find it necessary to remain in close physical contact at all times."

"Well, I think that's fucking obvious," Light growled. "Does the great detective L have anything else to share?"

"Yes," L said calmly, ignoring the sarcasm. "We seem able to tolerate indirect contact."

"Huh?"

"Earlier, I had my hands on your shirt and not directly against your skin, but our bodies did not react."

Light sighed. "Well, I guess that makes things a little easier. I don't have to hold your hand forever."

"What is wrong with my hand, Yagami-kun? It is clean."

"Just how much work do you think we'll be able to do if we're holding hands all day? Besides, people will think we're gay."

L blinked. "Is it wrong to look happy?"

"Gay as in homosexual, not gay as in happy," Light growled.

"Ah, yes. Thank you for clarifying."

That was the last straw for Light. He grabbed a fistful of L's shirt collar and pulled the detective off the ground. Despite Mr. Yagami's plea for Light to stop, Light shoved the detective against the wall and pinned him there.

Mr. Yagami ran into the hallway to get Matsuda to break up the fight.

But L wasn't fighting back. A faint smile graced his face. "Yagami-kun must remember that in our current predicament, physical contact is welcome"

You perverted bastard,' Light hissed. He let go of L for a millisecond before letting his fist connect with L's nose.

Now L was fighting back. He cupped one hand under his bleeding nose and brought his knee up into Light's groin.

Light hissed in pain. "That was a cheap shot."

Matsuda burst into the room. "Come on, guys. Let's not fight." He pushed them apart. "Now, Light can stay on this side and Ryuuzaki can stay on this side."

Light made a pained sound and clutched at his chest. L made no noise, but from his expression it was obvious that he was suffering.

'Matsuda, let go of them," Mr. Yagami commanded.

As soon as Matsuda released them, Light wrapped L in a tight hug. L sighed and rested his head on Light's shoulder.

Matsuda beamed. "Oh good. They've made up already. Well, I'm going to get a soda. I'll see you downstairs."

Light peeled himself away from L, leaving just his hand on L's shoulder. He wrinkled his nose in disgust. 'We need to fix this now. I can't do this everyday."

"Yes, I agree, Yagami-kun. I do not like being touched either. We will make resolving this situation our top priority. Whatever is causing this, we will find it and fix it."


End file.
